New study questions the MPAA's ratings

Posted Wednesday, July 14, 2004 at 11:38 AM Central

by John Couture

Earlier this month Jack Valenti passed the MPAA baton to Dan Glickman, but did Dan know what he was getting in to? A new study released by the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health undermined the effectiveness of the MPAA by suggesting that a “ratings creep” is taking place.

The findings support that movies released in 2003 with a PG or PG-13 rating contain more violence, sex and profanity than their counterparts released in 1992. Even G-rated animated films contained more violence than their live-action brethren.

Associate professor Kimberly Thompson, who directs the Kids Risk Project, critiqued the failures of the current system. "It's time for a significant research effort to explore the development and creation of a universal media rating system."